Benjamin Harrison Cain. 1960. The Town and Country Pulpit: Sermon Blueprints for Forty Special Days. Anderson, IN: Warner Press. 

Table of Contents

1. Preface
   
2. How Big Is Our Church? (New Year)
   
3. The Quest for the Best (Youth Sunday)
   
4. God's Requirements (Race Relations Sunday)
   
5. Running for Your Life! (Pre-Easter Season)
   
6. Four P's in a Pod (World Temperance Sunday)
   
7. Like a Tree (Arbor Day)
   
8. Lessons from Palm Sunday
   
9. Easter in a Garden
   
10. Seed Growing Secretly (Seedtime)
    
11. Basic Rural Values (Rural Life Sunday)
    
12. Four Soils (Rural Life Sunday)
    
13. The Home by the Side of the Road (Mothers Day)
    
14. Getting Down to Earth (Soil Stewardship Sunday)
    
15. Family Devotions (Christian Family Sunday)
    
16. Childlikeness (Children's Day)
    
17. The Rural Home in a Changing World (Home Dedication)
    
18. The Ascension and Exaltation of Jesus (Ascension Day)
    
19. Power to Put It Across (Pentecost Sunday)
    
20. We Need a Memorial Day
    
21. The Head of a Royal Household (Fathers Day)
    
22. Christian Citizenship (Independence Day)
    
23. Stepping Up Production (Labor Day)
    
24. We Are All Here (Rally Day)
    
25. What a Friend We Have in Jesus (World Communion Sunday)
    
26. Seedtime and Harvest (Harvest Home)
    
27. Life's Richest Offering (Stewardship Sunday)
    
28. What Is God Doing? (Veterans' Day)
    
29. Pass the Salt, Please! (Community Emphasis Sunday)
    
30. Cause for Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving Day)
    
31. The Saddest Words in the Bible (Advent Season)
    
32. The Bible, the Greatest Book in the World (Universal Bible Sunday)
    
33. A Small Town Savior (Christmas)
    
34. Why I Believe in the 4-H Club Movement
    
35. The Meaning and Challenge of an Anniversary (Church Anniversary)
    
36. Benefits of the Lord's Acre Plan (Lord's Acre Sunday)
    
37. Growing Older Gracefully (Senior Citizen's Day)
    
38. Four-Leaf Clover Bouquet (Wedding Anniversary Sermon)
    
39. Church for Our Day (Church Dedication)
    
40. Save Our Sunday
    

Preface

Several reasons are set forth here for the producing of this small book at this particular time. First, this task came as a specific recommendation to me as secretary of the Department of the Town and Country Church of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Special helps for the observance of rural festivals and special days on the calendar were desired.

Not a few pastors write me at certain seasons of the year and state that the "barrel" needs replenishing. To attempt to help all of these brethren from various church groups has been a real joy. What I offer here to men such as these is intended only as a broad resource where resource for special days in the rural setting is generally lacking.

A third reason for the production of this book is my desire to do something that will be of immediate and practical help to town and country church pastors. Heretofore, much of my work and writing has been related to surveys, conferences, programs, techniques, work-shops, and convocations. All of these are well and good in their places. But this is a different sort of thing. Enriching helps and suggestions for the pulpit ministry in this book should increase the usefulness of rural pastors as they preach and encourage them in their great work.

The pastor will find it helpful to follow the calendar of special days in the church, at least within certain limits and with appropriate adjustments to meet local needs. In preparing these sermon outlines with such a calendar in mind attention has been given in the following areas:

The Bible is widely covered.

Observances furnishing opportunities for effective Christian education have been noted.

A historic sense of religion is cultivated.

Personal and social needs are emphasized and dealt with.

Fellowship and worship across church lines are taken into account and encouraged.

The Scripture passages quoted in this book are almost entirely from the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible and are used by permission of the copyright owners. It is expected, of course, that ministers or other speakers using these outlines will employ various translations in preparing their messages and in the pulpit will use the translation they deem most suitable for their purposes.

Benjamin H. Cain (Dayton, OH)

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews